Healing Journey
by Wynaeri
Summary: Collin Joy is a member of the illustrious Joy family. Similarly to half the members of his family, he wishes to become a Pokemon Nurse. No issues, right? Except... have you ever seen a male Nurse Joy? Here's the story of how the first male Nurse Joy came to be, everything he dealt with on the way, and the friends he made throughout his journey.
1. Keep Moving

**A/N:**** Yo! This is my first story that I'm attempting to write on this account. It's been a while since I last wrote something, let alone a Pokemon fanfiction; so I apologize for any mistakes or awkward sentences. I had what I thought was a unique idea for a story and am currently writing plot points for each chapter but wanted to try publishing this first chapter on here to hopefully get some feedback and to see if anyone was interested.**

**Healing Journey**

**Chapter One**

**Keep Moving**

The medical world did not allow for oddities unless those oddities were a patient's symptoms. The Joy family were the de-facto leaders of the medical realm and their lineage seemed to be bred for it. Every female 'Joy', as they were called, would start attending Nursing School at age 15; much later than most children began their other journeys in life. The children would learn under the tutelage of multiple teachers in the school for about 3 years, at which time they would graduate and be given a 'Healer's Certification'. They would then be free to find a city that needed a Pokemon Center and essentially 'open shop'.

In the beginning, the Joy family had considered allowing both females AND males to attend the Nursing School. The Head Nurse at the time; Nadine, insisted the females were more well-intuned to the natural healing energies of the world and were more likely to bond with the partner Pokemon that were normally given to each prospective nurse. No females had ever had issue bonding with Pokemon nor had they had issues with any medical talents. Some believed the reason for this was the strong genes in the female line that while causing most female Joys to look alike, also caused them all to receive the same reaction from Pokemon. Warmth. Love. Acceptance.

All men bearing the name of Joy were pushed out into the world to engage in other careers after Nadine announced this. Some became builders, some became scientists. They were not told to limit themselves, but they were told to leave the healing to the ladies. While the men of the line also usually had some talent in the field of healing, it was not comparable to their feminine counterparts; and the family could not have the name of Joy lowered by medical talents that were less than perfection.

* * *

Collin Joy was an oddity. A boy of 15, standing at 5'5" and possessing the same auburn hair that had made the rest of his family so famous, Collin was still the black sheep of the Joy family. Since he was a child, Collin had dreamed of being a Nurse. He had watched his mother, his aunts, his grandmother and the rest of his rather extended family for years. He had witnessed the miraculous healing talents they possessed. He had stared in awe as their partner Pokemon used their seemingly magical abilities to bring Pokemon back from death's door.

He wanted that.

Collin wanted to help save the world. A noble cause for any young person and usually they would realize later in life that they needed to think a bit smaller. Collin wanted to be able to save any and all Pokemon. He wanted to be able to look at an injury and immediately know what steps to take to cure the creature in front of him. The only problem with this was the fact that Collin wasn't allowed. He had been reading his mother's medical texts since he was able to understand them and knew that if he could just prove to his mom that he could be just as good as her; she would change her mind.

Well, that's what he thought.

"NO! I told you years ago that you should get another interest!", Marissa Joy shouted exasperatedly at her son.

Collin rolled his eyes and with a huff exclaimed "AND I told you years ago that this is what I want to do! What makes that so hard for you to understand?"

Marissa seemed to take a deep breath as if steadying herself before saying "I understand perfectly, Collin. I understand wanting to heal. I really do. But you know you can't."

"Yes, I-"

"No, you can't", she responded sternly, "I don't know why you think you're better than the rest of the men in this family, but you're not. You are not allowed to join the school. You are not allowed to be a Nurse. You are not allowed to heal. That is my job. That is a woman's job."

"Sexist", Collin stated with a flat stare towards his mother who in return gave him a flat stare of her own.

"Maybe so, but that's what this family's policy is. If you don't like it, then I don't know what to tell you."

Collin wanted to rip his hair out and lash out at his mother but knew it would do no good. She had been a traditionalist since he could remember and had always taught him the traditions of the family. The traditions that made no sense. The traditions that wanted to get in the way of what he dreamed of doing. The traditions that the entire family upheld. The traditions that were passed down through each Head Nurse- wait. Head Nurse!

"Okay, fine. If you won't let me start attending the school, I'll just go see if the Head Nurse will allow me to!", Collin triumphantly exclaimed as though he had pulled a quick one on his mother.

"Mmhmm, let me know what she says", Marissa sighed, "Because I doubt it will be any different than what I've already told you."

* * *

The Head Nurse's Building was located at the Pokemon League in Kanto. Collin had taken the bus from his home near Mt. Moon's Pokemon Center to Viridian City and then had made the slow march from Viridian to the League. The building itself was easy to find, being a large white construct with the traditional Pokemon Center roof and Pokeball sign near the door. After entering through the front door, Collin was immediately greeted by a man in a black suit who looked a bit intimidating.

"Who are you and what is your purpose here?", the man managed to demand in an aggressive yet monotone voice.

"Err... hey, I'm Collin Joy. I'm here to see the Head Nurse", he attempted to explain to the robotic looking guard.

"I have heard of no appointment for a Collin today. Leave, or be kicked out by League Representatives", the unknown man started pushing Collin back towards the door without a sign of being apologetic.

"Wait, no! You don't understand", he tried to say as the man continued to kick him out of the building.

"What are you doing now, Vaughn?", an elderly and feminine voice came from behind the now named 'Vaughn'.

"Just getting rid of this kid who didn't make an appointment, Miss Dianne", the man explained without losing the voice of the dead he had.

"Really? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were kicking my grandson out when all he seems to want to do is visit his favorite grandmother", the old woman patiently stated without being able to see Vaughn's eyes widen just the slightest bit before he quickly moved away from Collin.

"Hi, Grandma", Collin smiled at the small lady who was shorter than him by just a hair at this point in her life.

"Hello, dearie. What can I do for you?", she gave him a kind smile that filled the room without filling her face.

Dianne Joy was a fierce woman with the kindest soul anyone could find. She had taken over as Head Nurse of the Nursing School at age 28 and had been in charge ever since. No one had any qualms with her after the first couple of years when she managed to save the life of over 100 Pokemon in 1 week after a disastrous explosion at a nearby Power Plant. Her Pokemon and her had worked themselves to the bone, but they had done so much healing that none could say they weren't worthy of the title that had been bestowed.

"What makes you think I didn't just come here to visit my favorite grandmother", he grinned at her in an attempt to warm her up for what he was going to ask.

"Well, maybe it's the fact that I haven't seen you in 2 years and that was only to borrow what seemed like my entire library?", the grandma responded sarcastically with a raised eyebrow at her young grandson.

"Ehhh heh... yeah, thanks for that by the way", Collin scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile as he remembered begging his grandma for every book she had on Pokemon anatomy and how to treat poisons.

Dianne just gave her grandson an expectant look while waiting for him to say what he had come to her home and work for in the first place.

"Well... I did want something... something I want really bad", Collin began to explain while looking down at his feet.

"If you want something this bad, boy; then you shouldn't be shy about it. Have some confidence for Arceus' sake!"

Collin knew his grandma was right. He couldn't act unsure about this. If being a healer was his dream, then he needed to prove it wasn't just a passing thought. He needed to show everyone that he WOULD become a Pokemon Nurse. He would be the first male Nurse Joy. If his family didn't like that, then they could go rot for all he cared. He knew his grandma wouldn't deny him his dream!

"Grandma, I want to attend the Nursing School! I'm 15 now and I should be allowed to become a Nurse like all the girl Joys! I'm just as talented as any of them and I deserve a spot!"

There. He said it. He wouldn't be denied any longer.

His grandma smiled possibly one of the largest smiles he had seen from her in his life.

"You're right, Collin."

Shocked, Collin responded with a shaky, "I-I am?"

"Of course you are", she went on to say, "I've watched you grow from a young talented child to a still growing man who has nothing but kindness in his heart towards the Pokemon he comes across. I know you have the healing gifts throughout your entire body!"

Collin couldn't help the tears that sprung to his eyes.

"Thank- Thank you, grandma! You have no idea what that means to me!", he started babbling, "So when do I get to start at the school? I know it takes 3 years to complete so I was hoping to start in the next couple weeks so I would be able to go out on my own when I hit 18."

"That should work fine, as long as you get the necessary paperwork signed by your mother of course", she continued to smile as though she didn't know she was destroying a dream.

"Umm... what? Mom will never sign anything if it lets me go to the school... you know how much she loves the tradition of the family", Collin reminded his grandma as he began to put his head back down and decided dreams were hopeless and maybe he should just tie a rock to his feet and jump in-

"Ahhh, she's still got that stick up her butt, eh? You know I've tried to convince the family that times change for years now, but I can't simply change the traditions of our ancestors without getting the majority of the family to approve", Dianne attempted to explain with a shake of her head.

"So there's nothing we can do then?", Collin asked while continuing to mope.

"Now I didn't say that", was the only response he was given as his grandma gave him a wink and shuffled into another room only to return a few seconds later with a closed hand and her other hand holding a book.

"What are you talking about?", Collin questioned her while she sidled back up to him.

"I'm talking about this!", she grandly displayed the book she was holding titled 'A Pokemon Trainer's Journey through Kanto'.

Collin stared at the book and then his grandma for what seemed like a full minute.

"You're gonna have to explain this one a bit more, old lady."

Dianne rolled her eyes while shoving the book into Collin's face.

"Don't you see? You need to go on a Pokemon Journey!", she excitedly exclaimed while continuing to shove the book further into his face.

"But I don't want to be a trainer. I want to heal Pokemon, not train them", he said with a sigh as he realized his grandma might be falling off the deep end and wondering when the next Joy would take over for her.

"Pish posh. Training Pokemon can help prevent injuries before you ever need to heal them."

"Grandma... healers don't do that", Collin attempted to get through to her once again.

"I did."

Grandma Dianne had been a trainer since she was 10. She had been given a Bulbasaur as a starter Pokemon and had then caught multiple Pokemon throughout her career until she turned 15. She trained those Pokemon throughout that time to learn moves that could benefit the healing process and provide anything she needed for becoming a Pokemon Nurse. When she enlisted in the Nursing School at age 15, she had a full team with her and was given her final Pokemon Partner when she graduated. Blissey was a terrifying force now.

"I'm not you though..."

"Well of course not, I'm amazing!", Dianne guffawed as she marveled in her own prodigious talent with training and healing, "But that doesn't mean you can't be amazing too! You have to be if you're my grandson!"

"I don't know...", he said; a bit unsure.

"Do you want to be a nurse, Collin?"

"More than anything", he responded with a spark slowly returning to his eyes as he looked at his grandma and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Then you need to do this. I can't allow you to enter the Nursing School without your mother's permission, but she won't question you if you decide you want to start a Pokemon Journey", the Head Nurse began to explain her plan.

"Okay, that could work; but I'll still need my Healer's Certification at some point."

"You leave that to me. To get your certification, you just need experience and the knowledge to pass the final test after 3 years of training."

"Exactly! How am I supposed to do that without going to school? It makes no sense", he nearly swore at his grandma before remembering that although she looked old she was still spry enough to smack him upside his head.

"Your journey will include your training."

"It's a bit hard to get medical training in while on the road, don't ya think?", he snidely commented while nearly rolling his eyes once again.

"You do realize there's a Pokemon Center in almost every town, right? All your grandma has to do is contact the respective Nurse Joy at each center and inform them that my grandson will be visiting for some training and to help out for let's say... a month at each center?", she smiled as if she had just thought up her master plan off the top of her head.

Collin couldn't believe his grandma was thinking of allowing him to do this. Or rather, it seemed as though she was already convinced and it was him that had to think about allowing this to happen. He could finally begin working on his dream and no one would be the wiser. His mom would be in the dark until it was too late to stop him. Three years of traveling around the Pokemon World and he would have enough knowledge and experience to become what he had always dreamed. A Pokemon Nurse. A Nurse Joy.

"Grandma...", he began to choke up.

"You're welcome", she smiled at him while patting his head, "Now I can't forget one last thing."

She opened her hand to show what she had been holding in her palm ever since she had gone out of the room minutes before.

"Grandma, you don't have to do anything else for me", Collin teared up finally as he raised his head up to look at what was in his grandmother's hand.

"Well, this is one thing I think you need to have", she explained, "I originally wasn't going to give her to you until you graduated Nursing School. But since we're doing things a bit differently, I don't think there's any harm in letting you travel with her to train her yourself."

"Her?", Collin looked confusedly at the red and white ball lying in his grandmother's outstretched hand, "What's in it?"

"Well, every Joy needs a partner", Dianne stated in an obvious manner before she was surprised as Collin immediately wrapped her up in a hug tighter than she could ever remember receiving from him.


	2. A Healing Emergency

**A/N: **Well, here's chapter two! Hope you guys like it. Let me know if you think I should continue with this fic. I'm really liking the ideas I have for literally the next 30 chapters.

**Healing Journey**

**Chapter 2**

**A Healing Emergency**

Being pink, wearing a diaper, and having a tiny curl of hair did not usually make for a ferocious Pokemon. Happiny was no exception. Luckily, battling was not the reason most trainer's caught a member of the Happiny line. Chansey, Happiny's evolution; was the optimum and most commonly found Pokemon that helped out in Pokemon Centers around the world. What they lacked in battling skills, they made up for with a host of healing abilities and a strong desire to protect any 'patient' they came across.

* * *

"Hello, Happiny. I'm Collin, a Pokemon Nurse-in-training; and I'd like you to be my partner!", he greeted the small Pokemon with a wave and a grin to show her that he meant no harm.

"Hap-hap-peeny!", the pink ball of joy shouted back to him before immediately jumping towards his face before he could get his arms up.

"Ahhh wait, wait!", Collin tried warning before the Pokemon connected with his nose and pushed him back, sending them both careening to the ground where they landed with a loud groan.

"Hap...", the Pokemon moaned while looking like it was ready to start crying at any second.

"Ugh", Collin moaned after raising his head off the ground before noticing his new partner with tears collecting in her eyes, "No, no! Don't do that! I tried warning you that I wasn't ready for that! I didn't expect you to be so friendly right away! I'm sorry!"

"Happpppeeenyyyy!", she ended up bursting into tears the moment he started raising his voice with her.

Collin shook his head exasperatedly before grabbing Happiny and holding her close to his chest as she let her tears out before noticing where she was and looking up at him in awe and happiness.

"It's okay, little one. I didn't mean to yell, I just don't deal well with sudden movements and I guess I've never dealt with children before. I guess I'd better get used to it if I supposedly plan on becoming a Pokemon Nurse, huh?", he asked more to himself rather than the little creature staring at him but was surprised to see her nod in response before she jumped out of his arms and back to the ground.

"Happeen!", she told him with a very serious expression on her face and pointing to herself and then him.

"Wha?", was his intelligent response.

"Hapeen!", she repeated more forcefully while grabbing his finger and holding it in her nub of a hand.

"Are you saying you're gonna help me become a better nurse? That with both of us together, there's nothing in the world that can stand against us? We will become the best medical team in the world! Collin and Happiny, the famous healing duo!", he shouted in delight and triumph as he imagined the ways they would change the world.

"...peeny", Happiny responded while slowly edging away from her new trainer already.

"Well, at the very least you plan to help me, right?"

"Happiny", she agreed with a nod while walking back towards the weird human.

"Great! Our first stop is Viridian City then! We're supposed to be training there for the next month or so. It's gonna take a bit to get there... luckily we have the bus of course! Imagine the new trainers that are starting out and they actually walk the entire region! No thank you!", he laughed while Happiny pretended to understand what he was talking about.

* * *

"Is this the place?", Collin questioned his egg-shaped companion while looking at the large red building with a giant Pokeball symbol on the front.

"Hap", the small Pokemon responded with a deadpan stare while pointing at the sign that read "_Viridian City Pokemon Center_".

"Ahh, yeah. I guess that's a good indicator hehe", he commented while scratching his cheek in embarrassment for his rather stupid question.

"Happeeny Hap Hap", Happiny said while starting to walk toward the entrance doors.

"Hey! Don't go in without me!", Collin yelled while chasing after the Pokemon only to immediately quieten as he made his way through the doors after his charge. He noticed he was being glared at by the Nurse at the front desk and decided it would probably be worth his while to keep on her good side.

"Happiny", he whispered while trying to coax the pink Pokemon towards him, "Come here, we need to present a good impression for the nurse!"

"I promise you that you have already failed in that regard, Mr. Joy", a stern voice came from the area of the front desk, and he knew that the Nurse hadn't decided to just ignore him until he made his way to her.

"Umm... hi! How did you who I was?", he asked with a bit of confusion as he hadn't done anything to announce himself.

Nurse Joy looked from Happiny to Collin's pink and curly hair, back to Happiny, and then looked at Collin once again with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know, I must be psychic", she sardonically responded with a sharp click of her tongue.

"Err... right", he began as Happiny and he looked at each other with concerned expressions, "Well, I'm Collin Joy. This is my partner, Happiny! We look forward to being trained by you!"

The Viridian Nurse scoffed.

"I'm sure you do, Mr. Joy", she bit out, "I'll have you know that if it wasn't for who your grandmother is, I would have disagreed to this immediately. You're fortunate you were born so lucky."

"Wait a minute, I deserve this-"

"You do not _deserve_ anything, _boy_. I don't know what it is with your generation and spitting upon the years and years of tradition that we try to uphold, but I do not agree with it and I will not actively participate in our family's destruction. I will 'train' you as I see fit. You will have no complaints and you will do what I say. If you have any issue with the way I teach, you can take it up with the Head Nurse; Arceus knows she apparently will bend over backward for you", the nurse ranted with flared nostrils and a disapproving look in her eyes the entire time.

"Settle down! I just want to learn how to heal! Happiny and I are ready to learn anything you have to throw at us!", Collin attempted to defend his decision to become a healer and his grandma's decision to instruct the nurses of the regions to train him.

"Anything? Here's your room key then", the woman abruptly stated as she handed him a key from the nearby wall with an assortment of different style key rings on it, "Put your stuff away and then you will be learning whatever I have to throw at you."

* * *

"This isn't really the training I had in mind", Collin admitted to his partner Pokemon as they stood in the middle of the waiting area in the Pokemon Center, throwing water on the floor and scrubbing at it with the brushes Nurse Joy had handed them.

"Happ-Happiny", she agreed with him as she used both of her arms to push the brush that was the same size as her across the large floor.

"And was it just me or does she seem to not like us?", he questioned Happiny with a hopeful look that maybe he was wrong.

"Hapeen."

"Yeah, I didn't think so."

They continued to mop the floor in relative silence as they both became more and more mopey about the fact that they weren't allowed to do anything that actually mattered. Collin hadn't even considered the fact that even though the nurses had to obey the Head Nurse's demands, it didn't mean they had to fulfill them to the highest degree and that some of them might not like the apparent favoritism. He hoped it wouldn't be like this at every Pokemon Center or else he wasn't sure if he'd be learning anything throughout this trip.

"Maybe she'll give us actual training tomorrow? There might just be nothing to do tonight", he decided to look on the bright side and hoped he might have just read the situation wrong.

"Hap-hap-hap", Happiny responded with a phrase that Collin was unsure of the meaning of, but he was almost certain it shouldn't be said in public.

The next morning saw more of the same chores being assigned to Collin and Happiny. Sweeping the floor, mopping the floor, watering the flowers, calling out names of trainers who needed to come to pick up their Pokemon and Pokeballs. This was how the rest of the week continued for the duo, causing them much despair over the fact that they weren't doing any jobs that actually involved healing or medicine.

It wasn't until about a week and a half into the 'training' that something actually changed.

"Here. Take these to the backroom and store them in the 'waiting for pick-up' area", Nurse Joy came up to him with her always stern expression as she pushed a tray of 3 Pokeballs into his hands.

"What are they?", he questioned more out of surprise than confusion.

"Pokeballs, Collin. Pokeballs."

He growled a bit before responding, "Yes, I can see that. I'm just surprised you're actually letting me do something that isn't cleaning."

"That makes two of us. These Pokeballs belong to a trainer who hasn't come back to pick them up yet", she surprisingly explained patiently.

"I thought trainers were supposed to wait in the center until we called them up to collect their Pokemon", he replied confusedly.

She sighed.

"Yes, they're _supposed_ to. Every now and again we have trainers who wander off and don't come back in time to hear their names called off. We put their Pokeballs in the backroom under an area that designates them for later pick-up."

"Oh, gotchya! So what, the trainer will be here at some point soon to get them?", he asked her with a shrug as he started walking to the backroom area.

"Usually. If not, we contact their Pokemon Professor to see if the trainer is going to be coming back for their Pokemon", she shrugged in return as she also turned around.

Collin stopped in his tracks.

"What do you mean 'if the trainer is going to be coming back'?"

She stared at him in surprise before something resembling pity came over her face.

"Well... some trainers decide to use Pokemon Centers as a dumping ground for Pokemon they wish to abandon. We hold on to them once we find out and we slowly let worthy trainers adopt certain ones and release the rest into the wild at a steady pace so as to not cause an ecological disaster in nearby environments", she explained more softly than she had anything thus far into their training.

"That... that's horrible! Who would do that? There can't be many, right?", he asked as if grasping for an answer that wasn't horrifying.

"Why don't you take those Pokeballs to the back now, Collin? Make sure you put them in the 'waiting for pick-up' area. You'll see the 'abandoned' area when you're back there."

Collin and Happiny slowly made their way to the back room with a hesitance that they hadn't used so far. What were they going to find? A few trainers' worths of abandoned Pokemon in their Pokeballs, stuck in there until they were either adopted by a trainer who could handle them or if they were native to the surrounding areas? He didn't want to know how many Pokemon were stuck to this fate. He couldn't imagine leaving Happiny on her own and he had only met her two weeks ago.

"Happ...", the usually happy Pokemon whispered aloud as they entered the storage area.

"What..."

At least one hundred Pokeballs were in the area marked 'Abandoned'. One hundred Pokemon were stuck in tiny cells for who knows how long, waiting for trainers who would never return. Looking at the area he was supposed to be finding, he saw there were another twenty or so in the 'waiting for pick-up' storage space. Would these Pokemon make it out of here anytime soon? Or would they go the same way as the other hundred? He was going to be sick.

"Let's get out of here", he quickly told Happiny as he set the tray of Pokeballs down on the correct shelf and made a quick pace out of the room with his small Pokemon at his heels.

Nurse Joy stopped him outside the room.

"Why don't you go upstairs and have an early night?", she requested of him in a show of compassion he hadn't experienced from her yet.

* * *

The next week and a half progressed in much the same way as the previous week and a half. Collin was given easy jobs that were likened to chores in his mind, and Nurse Joy went back to treating him as she had in the beginning. If he looked hard enough, he thought he maybe saw a bit of a smile every now and again when he did something to her specifications; but Happiny assured him he was imagining things and to just go back to hating the world as she did.

She was far too pessimistic for a baby Pokemon.

Collin had been scrubbing at a particularly tough stain while Happiny slept in one of the nearby waiting room chairs when he thought he heard sirens in the distance. He looked up for a second before he decided it didn't involve him so why should he care? He went back to scrubbing at the spot in front of him. What was it? Mud? Blood? Oh, my god, had someone died here? That is so-

The doors slammed open and a motorcycle flew through the entryway.

"HELP! We have a Pokemon who needs immediate medical attention!", the local Officer Jenny shouted from her motorcycle. That she had parked. In the Pokemon Center.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?", yelled both Collin and Nurse Joy before they blinked at each other. Collin smiled while the nurse simply glared at him and then returned her glare to Officer Jenny.

"No time to explain! This young boy has a Pokemon that needs your help!", she shouted while pushing the until now hidden boy forward.

He was a shorter boy with black hair and a red hat, actually; wasn't that a Pokemon League Hat? A trainer, then. He was wearing a blue and white jacket with a black undershirt and blue jeans. The most noticeable thing about the boy wasn't anything on his person though, rather it was what he was holding in his hands. A Pikachu! And if looks could be believed, it seemed to be in desperate need of help.

"Chansey! I need a gurney, stat!", Nurse Joy jumped into action and Chansey came barreling out from a nearby storage room with a wheeled stretcher.

"Please, please help him!", the young trainer begged of my 'teacher' with tears in his eyes.

"We will do all we can", she replied while helping Chansey set the electric mouse on the gurney, "Now while Chansey transports your Pikachu back to the emergency room, I expect you to tell me why you let your Pokemon get into such a horrible state. I should revoke your trainer's license right now!"

Collin had never seen Nurse Joy get this angry, not even at him. He couldn't disagree with this level of anger of course. Even though he wasn't a trainer himself, he knew enough that no trainer worth their own salt would ever let a partner get in the state that Pikachu was in. If he had any control over the situation that led up to those injuries, he most likely wouldn't be keeping his license for much longer.

"I didn't mean to!", the boy began to blabber, "We were attacked by a huge flock of Spearow and we couldn't get away! I tried to defend us but instead... Pikachu jumped to defend me... he saved me and now... he might... he might-"

"Nurse Joy is one of the best healers in the region. If anyone is going to help your Pikachu, it's her", Collin attempted to reassure the young boy who seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown.

Nurse Joy gave him a look that he couldn't discern.

"Right. We'll talk more about this later, young man. I'm going to go attempt to save your Pokemon", she informed him as she turned to walk to where Chansey had run, "Officer Jenny, I expect you to be out of here in the next few minutes. Collin, I expect you to stop this trainer from crying all over my clean floors."

Collin looked at the trainer with a sigh before looking over at Happiny and seeing she had of course woken up during the ruckus that had gone on. She had a glare that said she was ready to use her only attacking move; Pound, on him. He knew he had better stop her from doing that and then needed to stop the trainer from messing up 'the Nurse's' clean floors.

He walked over and picked Happiny up before making his way to the trainer and sitting down next to him.

"Look, kid; I know Nurse Joy can be a bit... aggressive, but she cares about Pokemon and is going to make sure your Pikachu is healthy by the end of this fiasco", he explained to the boy in an attempt to cheer him up.

"I just... I just can't believe I've already messed up this badly and I've only been a trainer for a day", the black-haired boy admitted with a sniffle.

"A DAY?", Collin began to incredulously yell in disbelief, "I mean... um... we all mess up sometimes. You just need to continue training to become a better Pokemon trainer, ya know?"

"I guess..."

"It's not all bad anyway! I see you didn't need us to heal any of your other Pokemon, so you can't be that bad of a trainer, right?", Collin commented with a pat on the boy's back.

"Actually, Pikachu's my only Pokemon", the kid sheepishly told him.

"Oh... well, it's only your first day! It's not like you have to catch every Pokemon you come across. That's a job for someone who wants to be a Pokemon Master or something", he laughed at his own words.

"Actually...", the boy began to say.

"No way. You want to be a Pokemon Master, don't you?", Collin asked with his forehead in his hands.

"Yeah..."

"You know you should really have caught at least a couple of other Pokemon then, right? Like a Rattata? Or a Pidgey? They're some of the easiest to catch and I know you saw at least one hundred of them on the way here."

"I can't just catch any Pokemon I come across! I need to form a special bond with them before I know they want to come with me!", the boy defended himself with a harrumph, "Besides, I already saw what looked like a Legendary Pokemon on the way here! It was a humongous bird in the sky that had a rainbow behind it!"

No way.

"You saw Ho-Oh? The Legendary Ho-Oh? Give me a break, kid", Collin scoffed in disbelief at the thought of a brand new trainer seeing a symbol of good luck that hadn't been gazed upon in years and years.

"Is that its name? And I'm not a kid! I'm Ash Ketchum! And I'm going to be a Pokemon Master!", the newly named Ash declared with a grin while holding up a peace sign right into Collin's face.

"What kind of Pokemon Master nearly loses their starter on their very first day as a trainer?", Collin meant to think to himself but said it out loud only to see Ash deflate in front of him.

"You're right... I'm a horrible trainer", Ash began to mope again as he had been before Collin came over.

"Now I didn't say that, I just meant-"

The doors to the Center opened.

"YOU! I've chased you for miles! How dare you fry my bike? I expect you to pay me back! WITH INTEREST!", shouted an orange-haired young girl wearing a yellow tank top showing off her midriff with blue jean shorts and suspenders, weirdly enough.

"Oh noooo", Ash moaned with his head in his hands.

"Don't you 'oh no' me, mister! I bought this bike with my own money and I'm not buying another one! You're a trainer, you should have money from battles! Give it to me!"

"I just started out!"

"I don't care if you just started out, you owe me a new bike!"

Collin stepped in before the fight could escalate any further.

"Miss, might I remind you that you are in a Pokemon Center and the Emergency Light is currently on? Indicating we have this young man's Pokemon in critical condition?", he stepped in to inform her and watched her face slowly pale.

"Critical condition?", both the female and Ash asked in unison.

"Yes, that's what that light on the wall means. We need this place as quiet as possible so that my mentor, Nurse Joy; can concentrate on healing the Pokemon", he explained to the pair in a manner which suggested it should be obvious to anyone who saw the light with the words "Critical Condition" under it.

Both trainers looked down in shame.

"You're Pikachu isn't doing well?", the girl asked Ash with a frown on her face.

"No... and from the sounds of it, they aren't sure what will happen", he began to tear up once again and Collin wasn't sure he could take much more of it.

"Look, I'm sorry for what's happening, but crying isn't going to help. I need you both to either sit here quietly and wait or you; Miss, should leave", he demanded of them.

"Why should we be listening to you anyway?", the girl demanded of him in return.

Collin straightened himself up and stared her in the eye before saying "_I_ am Collin Joy, a future Nurse Joy; and the person in charge of this center until Nurse Joy is done with Pikachu's operation. And you will do as I say."

The girl gulped and sat down next to Ash in silence.

What seemed to be hours passed in an atmosphere that seemed nearly as tense as it was quiet. Collin began helping trainers who came into the Pokemon Center for quick healing for the Pokemon. Luckily, the majority of trainers simply required traditional healing using the rejuvenation machine that existed in most centers. He had just finished giving Pokeballs back to a young female trainer with a tight smile when the light to the surgery room turned off. Ash and female trainer jumped up immediately while Collin simply looked towards the door.

Nurse Joy walked out with a stern expression on her face and was about to speak to Ash when she noticed where Collin was standing.

"Have you been treating Pokemon?", she asked him with a strange look.

"Erm... yes... you were busy and the center needed to continue healing", he shrugged as if it were obvious. Normally Chansey would help run each Pokemon Center while nurses slept, but in situations like these; it was a bit harder to make things work.

"Of course", Nurse Joy continued looking at him before finally saying, "Thank you for that. You may go back to cleaning."

He didn't growl at her.

"Nurse Joy, please! Tell me how Pikachu is doing! Is he okay?", Ash stepped in and nearly groveled at her feet for answers about his partner.

Nurse Joy gave Ash an aggressive look that seemed as though she were glaring through his soul before finally gaining a small smile and saying, "Pikachu will be okay. He's going to need to stay with us overnight, but he should be up and ready to see you tomorrow morning. He's just lacking a bit of power at the moment."

Ash broke down in tears before hugging Nurse Joy and thanking her repeatedly.

"Ugh. I told you everything would be fine, kid. Nurse Joy can fix anything", Collin rolled his eyes while something akin to happiness was felt inside his body.

Then the ceiling crashed down upon them.


	3. Rocketing Away

**A/N: **And chapter 3 is here! I'm in the middle of writing layouts for each upcoming chapter as we speak so hopefully, it should make writing go a bit faster since I'll know where I want to get.

**Healing Journey**

**Chapter 3**

**Rocketing Away**

* * *

"Happiny, use pound!", Collin commanded his partner in a desperate attempt to get away from the venomous snake making its way towards him.

* * *

When the ceiling collapsed, Collin had at first assumed some wild flying Pokemon had simply flown into it. An aerial battle perhaps. He didn't expect two white-outfit wearing individuals and a talking Meowth to drop down from the hole that had been created. He especially hadn't expected them to immediately start singing what they called a 'motto'.

"Are you actually serious right now?", he questioned them incredulously.

"Don't interrupt us, twerp!", the two humans shouted in sync with each other.

"Who do you clowns think you are?!", Ash yelled from his spot near Collin.

"If you had bothered to listen to our motto, you would know my name is Jessie", announced the woman with long red hair.

"And I'm James", the suave blue-haired man smirked from his spot next to his partner.

"And I'M MEOOOWWTH", the apparently talking cat Pokemon spoke up from in between them.

"And WE are the amazing Team Rocket!", they finished in sync once again.

They received doubtful stares in return.

"Isn't Team Rocket supposed to be a highly dangerous criminal organization?", the red-haired girl who had come after Ash asked in confusion.

"Exactly! What's your point, ugly?", Jessie asked snottily.

"Well... you three don't strike me as the most dangerous people. I mean, you started to sing when you first broke in. Are you sure you aren't a musical trio?"

"Oh, I wish we-", James was quickly interrupted by Jessie.

"How dare you! I'll have you know that we are some of the top agents in Team Rocket! So I'd start handing over your Pokemon and any Pokemon in this center unless you want to face the consequences", she threatened.

"And I'll have you know that my name is Misty Waterflower, one of the four Sensational Sisters of the Cerulean Gym; and all it will take is one call to the League to bring the full force of it down on you!", the finally named Misty declared with a smug smile.

Jessie laughed before throwing out a Pokeball followed by James throwing his own, "I guess we'll need to make sure you aren't able to give them a call then! Go, Ekans! Bite these kids until they can't move!"

"Go, Koffing! Suffocate them."

Collin, Ash, and Misty all jumped away from the Pokemon as quickly as possible. Happiny had jumped into Collin's arms the moment Team Rocket had come through the roof and was shouting off what was sure to be explicit curses in her own language. After jumping back, Misty reached to her backpack and pulled out two of her own Pokeballs before releasing them to show two star-shaped Pokemon with one being a bit larger than the other.

"Staryu, use Bubblebeam on that ball of gas! Starmie, use your Psychic on the snake!", Misty commanded her Pokemon in quick order and they responded in kind.

"Koffing!", James shouted as his Pokemon was thrown into the air by the attack sent by Staryu. Ekans, on the other hand, managed to dig underground the moment Starmie was commanded to attack.

"Oh, you really shouldn't have done that, kiddo. Ekans, use Poison Jab on that Starmie", Jessie shouted with a laugh as her Ekans flew out of the ground and smacked Starmie with its tail.

"Now, use Bite!", she continued her assault on the water/psychic type while glaring at Misty for daring to attack Team Rocket.

"Starmie, no!", Misty gasped without paying attention to her other Pokemon.

"Koffing, Sludge that overgrown starfish! Then Tackle it until it's down!", James commanded from behind her.

Staryu made a robotic noise that sounded like a screech as a huge glob of hazardous waste was thrown on top of it, only to go silent as Koffing used Tackle on it multiple times until its gem cracked slightly.

"No! Quick, Collin; use your Happiny! I'm out of Pokemon!", Misty cried as Team Rocket's Pokemon started moving towards them.

"Happiny isn't a battler!", Collin denied her request, "She can't take these guys on!"

"I can try to wake up Pikachu, he can take these guys no problem!", Ash declared with an assured smirk while imagining how quickly Pikachu could deal with the trio of criminals.

"Are you an idiot? Pikachu is still in bad condition! He should not be fighting under any circumstance!", Collin shook his head at the stupidity of the young trainer for even suggesting such a thing.

"Well, what else can we do? Unless we can use some of the Pokeballs on the shelf over there?", Ash asked Collin while pointing to the area where Joy stored the recovering Pokemon until they were fully healed for their trainer.

"Of course we can't! Those are sick Pokemon, Ash! We can't ask them to rescue us when they already are trying to heal up!", Collin explained to him while once again wondering why he didn't think these things through.

"UGH! Then I don't know what else you want us to try and do! If we don't fight these guys off, they're going to steal our Pokemon and every Pokemon in this place!"

"I know, I know. Just give me a second."

"Well hurry up, 'cause I can't imagine bad guys are willing to let you think it through", Misty commented while returning her Staryu and recently fainted Starmie.

Collin gritted his teeth and began looking around before his eyes finally landed on Happiny, still in his arms. Happiny looked up questioningly at him before smiling with a nod that filled Collin with determination and hope.

"Do you think you can do it, Happiny?", he wanted to make sure she knew what she was getting into. They had never battled before. This wasn't something they were ready for.

"Hap- Happiny!", she nodded her head while pumping a 'fist' in the air.

"Well then, I'll trust your judgment!", he told his partner, "I want you to use Pound on that Koffing!"

"You think that little pipsqueak is going to any damage to my Koffing? You must be jo-", James began to gloat before stopping dead when he noticed his Koffing go flying across the room.

"What!?"

"How!?"

"KOFFING!"

"Did you not know that the Happiny line has incredible strength? They might be healers at heart, but every healer needs a strong arm every now and again!", Collin laughed as Happiny turned to face Ekans.

"So what if your pink ball is a bit stronger than we thought! Ekans will still eat it in one bite! Ekans, how about eggs for dinner?", Jessie asked her Pokemon with a devilish smile on her face.

"EKANSSS!"

"Happiny, get away!", Collin shouted in a panic at the speed in which Ekans began to move across the floor.

"Don't let it get away, Ekans!"

Collin and Happiny began running from the Ekans that didn't seem to care if it got a bite of either of them as long as it tasted flesh. Collin tried throwing several chairs and tables in its way but nothing seemed to slow it down as it either went under, over or through every obstacle.

"Ekans, get them!", Jessie laughed at the game of chase.

"Happiny, use Pound!", Collin commanded his partner in a desperate attempt to get away from the venomous snake making its way towards him.

But Happiny didn't use Pound.

Instead, three large projectiles made of what looked like mud slowly formed in midair before launching at the snake Pokemon. They formed slowly enough that Ekans managed to dodge the first one but the second one barely managed to scrape it and the third one made a direct hit.

"Ekans, get up!", but the Pokemon didn't move from its position on the ground.

"Now, I think you're going to want to sit quietly until Officer Jenny gets here to arrest you goons. Or else", Misty stepped in and gloated to the Team Rocket members who paled for a second before James smiled.

"You didn't think Koffing was completely out of the game, did you?"

Collin sighed before saying, "Look, you should just give up. There's nothing you can do that we can't handle."

"Oh? Then handle this. Koffing, Self-Destruct!", James ordered as he grabbed ahold of his partners and made a run for it.

"KOFF-IIIIIIIIING!", the poison gas Pokemon boomed as it... boomed.

One should never become over-confident and think their opponent doesn't have a move that they'll be unprepared for. Almost every good trainer has an ace-in-the-hole. James was no exception. The moment Koffing used Self-Destruct, Collin's eyes were blinded by a flash of light before a loud noise took his hearing away. When he managed to gain his sight back, he saw Team Rocket was gone (including Koffing) and his friends were on the ground, disoriented. The building was on fire.

"GET OUT OF HERE!", he shouted as far as he could tell into their faces. When he realized they most likely couldn't hear him just like he couldn't hear anything, he grabbed them one by one before pushing them towards the door of the Pokemon Center. Ash resisted instantly and Collin realized he wasn't going to leave without making sure Pikachu also made it out of the building.

Collin pointed from himself to the area where Pikachu was being kept and tried to show Ash that he himself was going to make sure Pikachu made it out fine. Ash continued to resist a bit more before Collin smacked him upside his head and pushed him into Misty's arms and glared at them while once again pointing at the door. Misty pulled Ash along while Collin looked at Happiny who had a determined look on her face.

"I'm sorry", he mouthed to his partner who looked at him in confusion before outrage overtook her face as he pulled out her Pokeball.

"Haap!", he saw her start to mouth as he clicked the button on her ball and returned her to safety.

He managed to make it to where Pikachu was being kept and found his Pokeball nearby the bed he was lying on. He quickly returned Pikachu by tapping him on the head with the ball and then turned to leave. As his eyes moved around the room, he realized that all the other Pokemon were still stuck in their Pokeballs and wouldn't be able to get away from the fire. Collin ran over to where the balls were kept and began shoving as many as possible into his backpack. He'd take multiple trips back and forth to make sure they were all safe. He would-...

He would...

"Why is it so blurry?", he questioned no one as he slowly sank to the floor while coughing more and more.

The last thing he saw as his vision faded was curly red hair.

* * *

"Of all the idiotic things you could do?", was the first thing he heard upon opening his eyes.

"Whaa?", he managed to mumble while looking around the room.

If the signs were being read correctly, it looked to be a hospital room. It had been years since he last remembered being in a place where humans were healed rather than Pokemon. Coincidentally, the last time he was in a hospital was also because he had managed to injure himself trying to help Pokemon. Those Zubat needed to get back into their cave though, and he didn't regret getting them there!

"Do you realize you could have died?", Nurse Joy questioned him with a glare as she crossed her arms.

"Well... yeah. But I needed to make sure all the Pokemon were safe", he shrugged as if it were obvious.

Nurse Joy's eyes softened slightly before she sighed while putting her head into her hands.

"That was very... noble of you, Collin. But you should know that I had been in the process of sending all sick Pokemon to another center the moment Team Rocket broke through the ceiling", she explained to him with a shake of her head.

"Oh...", he whispered as he looked down, "But I didn't know that! And Pikachu definitely still needed to be rescued when I went back there!"

"I know that, Ash. But did you know Pokeballs are fire-proof? They've been like that for over ten years now. You could've just returned Pikachu and made a run for it. You didn't need to try rescuing them. I only attempted sending them to another center to keep them from being stolen by Team Rocket. Once they were gone, our lives were more important than sticking around the save Pokemon that were safe anyway."

"I didn't know that..."

"Well, as a future Pokemon Nurse, it's one of the first things you should look up."

And then she smacked him upside his head.

"Now, don't pull that kind of stupid stunt again. You really had me worried, Collin."

"Eh heh... I make no promises", he sheepishly informed her as she once again sighed before perking as she remembered something.

"Oh, I forgot. Your friends wanted to see you", she smiled at him.

"Friends?"

* * *

"So you're leaving, eh?", Collin asked Ash while wondering why Joy had called him his friend.

"Yeah... I really need to get started on my journey. We stuck around a bit longer than I had planned because we needed to make sure you were going to be okay, but it's time for me to get a move on", Ash responded while Pikachu nodded from his shoulder.

"And you're traveling with this guy now?", Collin turned to the red-headed partner of Ash.

"Mmhmm! He still owes me a new bike! Not to mention I might come across a few water Pokemon I haven't seen if I stick with him for a while", Misty responded with a smile while hugging Collin goodbye.

"But yeah! We just wanted to say bye to you before we left and to make sure you knew that we believed in you! Nurse Joy told us about what you're doing to become the first Nurse Joy that's a guy! That's so cool! I know you can do it, Collin!", Ash shouted far too loudly in such a small room.

"Oh... well thanks. I wish you luck on your journey as well, Ash. Just remember, Pokemon Masters need to actually catch Pokemon."

Ash just glared.

* * *

"And that's the move Refresh", Joy explained to Collin with a small smile as Chansey finished instructing Happiny on her first healing move.

"Wow! Thanks, Nurse Joy!", he excitedly thanked the Nurse before turning to his partner, "This should help us a lot, Happiny! Now that we're able to heal statuses with just a single move, we don't have to worry about having Antidotes, Awakenings, or any other healing items besides Potions! We're basically a two-man healing team already!"

Joy laughed before stating, "You have quite a ways before you're reading to be a healing team, but I think you'll get there eventually, Collin."

"Really?", Collin asked with his eyes shining in disbelief that the Nurse who started out hating him actually believed in him.

"Really", she agreed with a nod as Chansey giggled in her own way off to the side, "You just have to remember that a healer needs to not only care for their patients but also care their own personal well-being."

"I know that", he attempted to brush her comment off.

"If you know it, the practice it", she told him sternly in a way that made him feel like he was a small child being dressed down.

"Yes, Ma'am"

"Now, I've taken the liberty of contacting my sister Joy in Pewter City. She's expecting you. Don't worry if she seems a bit tired, she's used to dealing with a rather persistent suitor of a Gym Leader in that town; and it's exhausted her a little bit."


End file.
